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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fall — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stock — goods
  11. stem — to come from
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. land — ground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com